After the Great Patriotic War, Soviet designers were given the task of replacing the outdated ML-20 howitzer gun of 1937 with a more advanced one. Soon, in Yekaterinburg, employees of the Special Design Bureau designed a new towed artillery gun. Today it is known as the 152 mm D-20 gun-howitzer. Its serial production in 1955 was taken up by employees of the Volgograd plant No. 221.
Beginning of design work
Soviet gunsmiths sought to create a "hull duplex" - an installation containing the same blocks of artillery systems. According to the designers, this should have significantly reduced production costs and had a positive effect during operation or repair: artillery pieces will always be supplied with the necessary spare parts. The 152 mm D-20 howitzer gun, which at that time was listed as D-72, was designed simultaneously with the 122 mm D-74 gun. As a result, after design improvements, it was decided for the D-20use a slightly modernized carriage, as in the 122mm howitzer.
What is the D-20 howitzer?
This artillery piece contains the following items:
- monoblock pipe;
- breech;
- clutch;
- double chamber muzzle brake.
152mm D-20 howitzer cannon is a field artillery piece that has the characteristics of both a cannon and a howitzer. Unlike a conventional cannon, the length of the barrel of this gun is smaller, but with large elevation angles. The installation differs from the classic howitzer in an increased firing range.
Device
152mm D-20 gun-howitzer contains a semi-automatic vertical wedge breech, which is of mechanical type. Despite the fact that the D-20 and D-74 use the same carriage, in both artillery pieces it has different front clip diameters and brake recoil spindle profiles. In D-20 it is hydraulic, equipped with a spring compressor. The filler for the brake was steol-M, which is also provided for the hydropneumatic knurler. For fixing the brake cylinders, special barrel clips have been developed that roll back simultaneously with the barrel itself.
152-mm gun-howitzer mounted on welded box-shaped frames. With the help of under-horn rollers, artillery pieces are rolled over short distances. The wheels of YAZ trucks are used as the main ones.
Mechanisms
B D-20 using a lifting mechanism,designed for one sector, vertical aiming is provided from -5 to +63 degrees. The left side of the gun became a place for a screw turning mechanism. The aiming of the D-20 in the horizontal plane is designed for 58 degrees. The tool is equipped with a pneumatic balancing mechanism. It consists of two identical columns and is of the push type. A special pallet is used as a support for the artillery gun, which is attached to the lower machine.
Ammunition for howitzer cannon
This artillery piece is loading:
- Nuclear shells 3VB3.
- Chemical.
- Projectiles containing arrow-shaped submunitions.
- Incendiary.
- HEAT fragmentation.
- High-explosive fragmentation OF-32. The firing range of these ammunition exceeds 17 km.
The D-20 gun is the first Soviet artillery system that uses tactical nuclear weapons. It is also adapted to fire currently decommissioned chemical charges.
Tactical and technical characteristics
- Producer country - USSR.
- By type, the gun is a howitzer gun.
- Year of issue - 1950.
- D-20 caliber is 152 mm.
- The barrel is 5.2 meters long.
- The length of the whole gun is 8.62 m.
- Width – 2.4 m.
- Combat crew consists of ten people.
- The gun weighs 5, 64 tons.
- D-20 is capable of firing six aimed shots within one minute.
- On the paved roadthe implement is transported at a speed of 60 km/h.
- D-20 is used by the armed forces of Algeria, Afghanistan, Hungary, Egypt, India, China, Nicaragua, Ethiopia and the CIS countries.
Conclusion
The D-20 artillery system has been in service with more than thirty states for a long time. The mount was considered the first 152mm gun to use a semi-automatic wedge breech. Based on the D-20, a number of modifications have been created. One of them was the Acacia self-propelled gun, which replaced the outdated D-20 system, which is now decommissioned and is not in service with the Russian army.
